Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Potomac Offers Up My Family For Sale

Well, sort of. My short story, “Family for Sale,” was published in the most recent issue of The Potomac: a journal of poetry and politics.

“It's a shame, when you think about it, that you can't trade in a family. Like a car or a girlfriend. Just put a family portrait up on Craigslist, make a few appointments, and hand over the birth certificates and Social Security cards.”Disclaimer: My real family is not for sale.Read the entire story in the most recent issue of The Potomac.http://thepotomacjournal.com/issue12/Fiction/Goodman.htmlCheck out the front page of the most recent issue at the following link, where you’ll see not only my story “Family for Sale,” but also a review of Tracks: A Novel in Stories.http://thepotomacjournal.com

Monday, August 27, 2012

Belz: Tracks is Elemental Storytelling

D. R. Belz is the author of White Asparagus a collection of essays, stories, and poems. Here’s what the Baltimore author had to say about Tracks: A Novel in Stories.

"In the best literary tradition of The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, and Spoon River Anthology, Goodman's novel-in-stories reveals the rich textures and patterns in the tapestry of human experience. Tracks is elemental storytelling."

Learn more about D. R. Belz and White Asparagus at the following link.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Returning as Ox-Bow’s Writer-in-Residence

News on the creative writing front: I’ve been selected as a writer-in-residence for Ox-Bow!

If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is my sophomore selection as an Ox-Bow writer-in-residence. Two years ago, just back from a trip to California, I was selected for a residency during Ox-Bow’s 100th year. This year, I got to go to California again—and now, Ox-Bow!

Affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow is located along the shores of Lake Michigan and offers 115 acres of inspirational space: pristine natural forests, dunes, a lagoon, and historic buildings.

Writers at this artists’ colony are provided with a small apartment, private lodge with inspirational views, three gourmet meals a day, and snacks around the clock—all from local farms.

Also provided is the opportunity to meet other artists from around the world, and (most importantly) uninterrupted time to write. Ox-Bow’s residency program is about immersion, commitment, freedom, and focus.

Founded in 1910, Ox-Bow is celebrating 102 years as a haven for artists, writers, and thinkers.

With Tracks published and Womb with my agent, I plan to begin a new novel during my residency. That is, when I’m not busy with my other writer-in-residence duties, such as eating, hiking, canoeing, and carousing.

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Michael Phelps of Books

Here in Rodgers Forge, we’re celebrating one of the most gold-medal heavy communities in the world. Michael Phelps grew up here and is an old neighbor.

If there is an Michael Phelps of books, the closest thing to it would be Atticus Books.

That’s because Atticus swept up the gold at this year’s Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York City. Not only did my own Tracks: A Novel in Stories win the Gold Medal for Best Fiction in the Mid-Atlantic region, but three other Atticus authors took gold for three other regions.

See the press release issued by Atticus Books to learn more about the Olympics of indie publishing.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Thomas Steinbeck Reveals the Secret to Writing

Want to know the
secret to writing? Thomas Steinbeck, son of Nobel Laureate successful author
himself, wants to key you in.

Take a few minutes to
watch this short, video; in less than three minutes you’ll have Steinbeck’s
fiction formula.

Steinbecks’ secret is “the
minimalist school” of writing. Don’t go to the desk to create. Go to the desk
with the story already worked out in your mind, ready to report the story you
already know.

“Let the audience do the
reading,” advises Steinbeck. Good writing is a two-way street.

Drawing from his
background as a journalist, Thomas Steinbeck covers the essential details:
“Who, when, why, where what – you only cover those things in which the reader
really needs the information in order to form picture for themselves.” What
makes the book your own is that “you’ve decorated it” and your passion comes
through.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Atticus Authors Take Mid-Atlantic By Storm

Earlier
this year, I teamed up with fellow Atticus author Alex Kudera, author of Fight for Your Long Day, for a series of
readings in DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. We had a great time sharing our
books at some great bookstores.

“Our authors are on a mission to get out there and spread the good
word when it comes to their good works (of literature, that is),” Atticus Books
reported.

At the time, Alex’s book had already won the 2011 Gold Medal for
best fiction from the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Little did we know at the time that my own Tracks: A Novel in Stories would be the 2012 winner of the same
Gold Medal!

The Atticus report was more true than any of us could have
predicted. Atticus authors took the Mid-Atlantic by a storm in more ways than
one! Who knew the folks at Atticus were profits?

Check out the original Atticus article and pictures at the link
below.

Monday, August 06, 2012

Nancy Greene—Goodman is a Virtuoso

Nancy Greene is the author of the award-winning story collection, Portraits in the Dark. She is also fiction editor of the popular literary journal, Tales of Blood and Roses.

Here’s what Nancy Greene said after reading Tracks: A Novel in Stories.

“Eric D. Goodman is a virtuoso; he breathes life into each character in such a way that you want to know everything about them, and each story makes you want to read the next to see how these lives intersect. Even when Tracks ends, it continues in the mind, leaving you wanting to know more, thinking about not only the lives of these multi-faceted characters, but your own life and the lives of those around you. Life is a journey and Tracks captures that feeling in a way that few interconnected story collections do.”

Friday, August 03, 2012

Tracks is Unexpected and Unique … Memorable

Tracks received another positive review! This time, the review comes from Everyday I Write The Book: a book review blog.Recent reviews include The Odds by Stewart O’Nan, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, and The Singles by Meredith Goldstein.

The review calls Tracks “an homage to train travel. The characters are diverse – a Holocaust survivor, a hit man trying to retire, a traveling salesman, a train conductor, to name a few – but they all come together in the lounge car of the Amtrak Cardinal, and their stories occasionally intersect and intertwine.”

What did the reviewer like best? “The strength of the book was the cast of characters, who were quite memorable for a short story collection. Often when I finish a collection of stories, I look back and the characters seem to run together, blending into one borderless whole. But the characters in Tracks have remained distinct to me upon finishing the book. Their stories are unexpected and unique, which made them memorable beyond their short allotment of pages.”